Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-01

Oy new appointments.
The appropriation for the last year was
81, 92S, 55l.25, and the bslaace unex-
pended thereof is 5000. 839 IS.
The act Of January 3, 1887, gave effec.
TO the recommendations urged in the
former reports submitted to you, and
authorized discretionary extension OF
carriers TO cities having population OF
1000 or collecting $4,000 of gross
postal rer .nue. 1t was hoped that these
privileges might have been ST once en-
| joyed by as many az fifty to-seventy-flye
cities, whose applications had &ntici-
pated approx riation, AID which the IL
vestigation of inspectors had found
suited to the service in local conditions.
But the failure of the usual d. ficiercy
bill to become : law left the department
without right,ul authority to make the
expenditure until the beginning Of the
/ current year; ia the meantime, however,
pursuing the examination Of applica-
tons with view 10 the earliest accom-
| modation of applicants.
| The esgerness with which the edYan-
| tages CT the carrier delivery Of malls are
now sought is in marked contrast TO the
reluctance OF many towns TO edmit the
system on its introduction in 1868. Then
the department was obliged to enforce its
acceptance in many cases.
There should be no hesitation in pro-
viding every city and town in the United
States with this service, whose business
interests and local conditions are such as
to make it of an advantage compensatory
to its cost. There can justly be no short
er Limitation. One such community Of
our people is equally entitled with anoth-
er; and all suca are entitled by the best
claim, American citizenship upon Ameri-
can enterprise, TO the highest cOnve-
niences of the best postal system. No
limitation is to be Justly found in the re-
letiOn Of local postage to the cost OF this
service. The aggregate OF such postage
exceeded the entire cost of carrier deliv-
cry in the p&st year By $2,072. SCI GO, and
each yeer the excess will be more. But
thirty cities out of the 329 now in posses
sion realized this result independently, so
that the claim Of such as do not enjoy it is
equal to that Of the other 299 which are
assisted to maintain it. The liberal poll
cy approved by Congress is fully warrant
ed By the finances OF the postal service
and will doubtless be generously pur-
sued hereafter.
THE MONEY ORDER SERVICE
continued to increase in volume during
the past year, the amount in the sggre-
gate of domestic orders issued reaching
SLY, 462 660.S9, and of international OF
ders 50, 035, $50 81; per centum of in
crease over the preceding year IN domes
tic orders, and 1886 per cent. IL foreign.
The aggregate Of postal notes Issued WAS
81, 768, 1924 81, an increase Of out $780,
Sl4 rs. The reduction of the fee from s
TO cents for domestic money orders not
exceeding s., pursuant to the recon-
mendation oftWo years ago, has operated
to increase the use OF this service to the
remitters Of small sums in 8 noticeaa4e
degree. The average amount of cash
order issued last year was but $12 ~ as
against an average of $l4 80 in 1886, and
larger sums in previous years. This is
also indicatedSby the increase of Is 81
per cent. in the number of orders issued
and by the small Increase in the use Of
postal notes. In like manner, the reduc-
tion of the fee for foreign orders operated
sn enlarged use OF them, amounting to
"a ~ per cent. in number.
During the year money order cOnven-
tons were entered into with The Neither
lands and with Norway; and botn went
into operation on the first of April last.
Negotiations are on foot likely TO result
il the conclusion Of similar arrangements
with the Kingdom of Denmark, the EN-
pire of Austria Hungary, and the Republic
of Mexico.
TEE SPECIAL DELIVERY SERVICE
does not appear to have commanded much
increase CT patronage during the year.
Exact reports have not been received
from other than free delivery offices; but
oy the Auditors allowances of compensa-
ton for deliveries and the Gales of stamps,
the Indication is afforded of about q
million snd quarter OF special delivery
articles. The total number at the carrier
delivery offices was 1924, 567, Of which
nearly seveDty-one per cent. arrived in
the mails, and twenty-nine per cent. were
OF local origin. This certainly shows
that this service is desirable to some. and
not unlikely may increase considerably as
it's uses become better known. Mean
time it imposes no cost, but yields small
return, eb ut $29, ZOO for the past year.
Messengers earned an average of Stops
monthly at the free delivery offices, which
only employ them under the act; sum
which will command the services OF COM
petent youths. And the service was we'll
performed, the average time between the
arrival OF the matter st the poStcfti3e and
its delivery being but tWenty-0ne min
utes.
The system is beneficial sud will prob
ably gain patronage in the future. It is
employed by considerable number, Ct
all events, and is so simple and free from
risk or burdens that it should be afforded
to them who desire it's continuance.
THE READJ USTMENT OF POSTMASTERS'
SALARIES
of the third, fourth and fifth classes of
the act OF 1864, for the ten years ending
June 80, 1874, as required by the act Of
1888, has been pushed with ali the force
of the Department assignable to this duty.
I hoped the entire review would be COM
pleted by end of the last;fscsl year, but
the work of the division failed to meet
this expectation, although 1t appears to
have been pressed iDdustriously. There
remained at the date Of the last report
from the office 6576 claims on file for con-
sideration. 9
THE INSPECTION OF POsTOFFICEs
proceeded during last year as far rs was
possible with the inspective force. The
systematic examination was finished of
the Presidential and money order Offices,
and nearly 5000 other eff es of the fourth
class were also inspected. The addition
al appropriation for this purpose avail